ArcBlock wants to protect user identites with blockchain

How many of us use Google or Facebook to sign into apps and services that we want to use? Is it convenient? Yes. Does it make using the apps and the internet in general easier? Most definitely? By making it easy, does that Google or Facebook the right to control all of the data that we generate as users? And, more importantly, does that give Facebook and Google the right to sell my data to anyone that wants to use data to advertise to us?

Before we answer that question let’s look at it this from a different perspective. Does a company hosting our data have a responsibility to protect that data and ensure that nefarious actors from the outside cannot get access to that data? Who’s responsible when a bad actor gets ahold of our data? Today, WhatsApp announced a new security breach for their very popular communications app, and this is just one of several recent security instances with Facebook. Coming from a company that has more than 1.52 billion users log into their services on a daily basis even a small breach can be a big deal.

Here at ArcBlock we believe that privacy is not only important, but it is the future. We have been working to make decentralized identity available to everyone and decrease users reliance on 3rd parties, and other services, who track, use and share data to anyone that is willing to pay for it, and instead give developers and everyone in between the ability to offer anyone the ability to manage and control their digital identities.

Earlier this week, ArcBlock announced the launch of their new decentralized identity services (DID:ABT) and decentralized identity ABT Wallet. These new services and apps use the same technology that underpins the leading cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum but instead use it to protect the “digital assets” of the individual user. Every interaction, license, online profile and more are considered digital assets and provide some type value to the user whether it is simply logging into a website, or paying for something. Moreover, digital identities can be easily managed through the ABT Wallet a reality and a user needs nothing more than a phone to make it all a reality.

For developers, ArcBlock has fully integrated DID and Wallet capabilities into their recently launched Forge Blockchain Application Framework making decentralized identity a reality in a few simple steps. Developers can use it for service access, paid content, signatures and verification and more. For users, they simply need to download the ABT Wallet and any service on the ABT Network is available to them immediately, or they can use their wallet to access other compatible networks and W3C compliant services.

Some of the immediate uses include:

Identity Verification: Forget centralized identity systems where someone just needs some knowledge about you to gain access to your data. Instead, decentralized identity requires physical access to the user's device (or other) to validate that they are the rightful user making it significantly more difficult to crack. Moreover, users can create a different type of identity on their devices allowing them to access websites and services with online profiles, verify work history, ongoing education training, maintain digital licenses and certificates and so on.

Data Protection: No more Equifax breaches, no more Facebook breaches. With decentralized identity, you have industry leading cryptography technology protecting users data, and information is always controlled by the users on their device and they have to approve any request when someone wants access to their data.

Auditable Transactions: Worried about changes to data? Or previously attested data? Through decentralization and blockchain-based signatures altering data is nearly impossible. Data is immutable and easily verified on the public blockchain by simply visiting the blockchain block explorer.

It’s Easy: To make it work, ArcBlock has also done something that no other previous blockchain company has been able to achieve and that is to create an amazing user experience that always puts the usability and function as the top priority to ensure that everyone has the best user experience possible.

The User is in control: Users have the ability to decline or accept any request and maintain their data on their own device. Users can share when they want to or revoke access for previous services granted access.

To make decentralized a reality, ArcBlock developed a new open decentralized identity protocol that is both W3C compliant and interoperable with other W3C identity service providers. By offering compatibility, users can be assured that leveraging a W3C compliant service allows them to use a wider range of services and apps. More importantly, by using this industry standard, ArcBlock can ensure that users benefit from the same security technologies being leveraged by the Department of Homeland Security.

Anyone can start building applications using decentralized identity and ArcBlock’s Forge Framework. Come see how easy it is and imagine what you can do for your users - give them control of their own data.